Dirty Jon Goes Early War: Part III - 8 Rads!

Welcome to Part III of my adventures in Early War!  I have had a lot going on lately, so I have not had a chance to really dig in to the pile of Early War stuff I have to paint.  You can see the rest of the series here:

Early War Part 1
Early War Part 2

I am going to try to catch up fairly quickly this fall so that Steven and I can get in some games!

Yes, I am a Recce addict.  I admit it.  This stuff wasn't even in the pile from Early War Part 1!  Oh well.  Luke and I needed some additional Recon units for our upcoming Fall-In Flames of War team tournament.  I already had two 8-rads painted up in Late War pattern -- I figured that while I was at it, time to add some Early War grey ones!

So, why do I really like this unit?

Utility
This one unit can be used from Early to Late War.  There are roughly 17 bazillion lists that the German player can pick the Sd.Kfz 231 (8-Rad).  For Early War, you are looking at Mechanized and Armored lists to include this option.  For Mid War, you see almost every Armored, Mechanized and Panzergrenadier list with access.  By the time Late War rolls around, this vehicle has mostly been bypassed.  Again, your motorized Infantry can get the 8-rad as well as most Mechanized and Armored lists.  You will find a ton of options by now - this is a good cheap one!

It's a Jeep!
Jeep movement is key!  16" overland, 24" on roads!  With huge movement like this, one can basically redeploy the unit during the Recce Deployment (p.193 V3 Rulebook).  In addition to a sideways redeploy, I just love to surge forward with these fast units to mess things up in the backfield.  When facing rear-echelon units, the MG and 2cm gun can do some damage.  Be careful - Recce units should only engage when they can REALLY take advantage.  This is not a tank - cover flanks, lift Gone to Ground, steal an objective.

iPhone pictures are getting weirder and weirder

Early War Use

For the Germans, this 8-rad is just wonderful.  You get Jeep movement with an AT 5 gun.  The Panzer III E only has an AT 6.  The early 8-rad only has a FA1, but hey -- its Early War!  I think that this will be a great unit with a ton of utility - I get all the Recce stuff, plus a pretty good gun and not horrible armor.

I did these guys up in standard Panzer Grey.  This time, I used a bit of brush-on matte varnish, as it was raining at the time I decided to seal these up.  I think the matte turned out great.

I really like this unit.  I cannot wait to get these on the board and really mess things up in Early War.  How do you use Recce units?  What are your experiences with the 8-rad?  We'd love to hear about it on our Forums!